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Audi S3, mk1 TT, R26 ex/owners



MrBlonde

ClioSport Club Member
Be on my mind for a while now of selling the Cup & looking for something a bit more GT focused.

Has anyone ever owned a Audi S3 8L model with the facelift?

Just looking for a buyers guide type of thing,good bad points etc please.
 

leedsboy

ClioSport Club Member
  Bean 182 + E70 X5
I was looking at them a few years back but decided against getting one and got my 182 instead.

They're old cars now and finding a decent one at a reasonable price was proving difficult. Rather pricey to repair and I think they're looking there age now.

Surely a 225/R26 would be the logical next step?
 

MrBlonde

ClioSport Club Member
Yeah i see what your saying & they all seem to be high mileage.Rare to find a lower mileage one.

Yeah ive been looking at them to,i think its just the look of the S3 i like.

If i do sell the Cup,wont till next year when i put another years M.O.T on it
 
  Listerine & Poledo
How about a low=mileage Leon Cupra R.
225hp, but not losing 1/4 of it in Quattro?

It wont have an audi badge on the nose, but there's loads of them scattered around the rest of the car ;)
 

leeds_182

North Yorkshire & Humber
ClioSport Area Rep
I had mine for two weeks before I sold it. It was ok but didn’t excite me. I had the one with the k03s on with a map.

Had the k04s on my corrado though and that was amazing but weighed about as much as a shoe box.
 

imprezaworks

ClioSport Club Member
  Mk5 Golf GTI :)
Yeah I quite like the look of them. Unless you get a really nice one and from memory they are good money, they look old and dated.

As said, r26, Leon, newer shape Leon cupra.
 

leeds_182

North Yorkshire & Humber
ClioSport Area Rep
My old one.

76735091-F589-40FE-87B4-1F4FD5A337B5.jpeg
16289C36-DC82-4C44-8F86-27793A7DDF8F.jpeg
 
  Seat Leon Cupra R
If you plan to keep it relatively standard, I'd avoid the quattro and go for a LCR (but then I am biased...)

Same power at the engine, less weight and losses getting it to the wheels. Unless you're planning on going above 300bhp or so then there's no real need for the Haldex system, and if you are planning on going above that then you're going to need to drop in rods etc anyway. With the Leon you also get 323mm Brembo 4pots (very similar caliper to the GT Junior), rather than the standard VAG front sliders over a 312mm disc. Of course you can bolt these on to an S3 regardless should you chose to go down that route, it'll just cost you a few hundred quid to get involved, no biggy.

The 1.8t is a great lump, easy to work on at home and incredibly tunable for minimal outlay. The A4 FWD chassis (not Audi A4, that's the chassis designation. Used in mk4 Golf, Leon, A3, TT, Octavia, Beetle) isn't the best, but with a bit of love can be significantly improved. From the factory relatively understeery and a bit numb, so if you do get one add a rARB to your list early on. The S3, LCR and TT benefitted from upgraded suspension components to match. Hubs were better geometry for a lowered car (~25mm lower than the standard Leon/A3/Golf from factory anyway), the wishbones were cast rather than 2-piece and had camber adjustment (earliest TTs had 30mm rather than 45mm bushes too which helped, though Audi numbed this down as they were too responsive for most users), ARB mounted from long droplinks on the strut rather than the wishbones, the latter causing rubbing issues when lowered. Steering rack is "quicker" at ~2.7 turns lock to lock vs ~3.4 for the standard models. Plus, of course, they were fitted with a k04 blower (k04-020, -022 and -023, all nigh-on identical) rather than the k03/k03s units on the 150/180bhp models lower in the range. Ignore the k04-001 that is occasionally mentioned, it's just a k03 for all intents and purposes but some folk will claim it's a significant upgrade. It's not.

With regards to buyers' guide/points to note, I guess key points would be along the lines of:
  • Coil packs can be a tad iffy. Some folk seem to replace them every couple of years, others of us (myself included on 2x 1.8t cars) never have an issue
  • There's a snakes' wedding of vac hoses under the bonnet, which with age can become brittle and result in boost leaks, and therefore running issues. Very easy to put right, and in actuality, a lot of it can be removed and simplified for minimal outlay. Can be helpful in negotiating a lower price knowing it's an easy fix if you find the right seller.
  • Similarly, now that these are cheap they're getting into the hands of the great unwashed and many are being poorly modified. These engines rely on a MAF system so when folk stick VTA dump valves on it throws fuelling out and will run a touch lumpy. Don't be sucked in by shiny DVs, the stock 710p diverter valve is dirty cheap and the best of the bunch really.
  • Door seals are s**t on the Leon, though can be sorted out in a couple of hours with a roll of butyl tape.
  • Water pumps occasionally (not overly common) have issues. Factory impeller was plastic and with age has been known to fail. Can replace with a new version (changed to better spec plastic) or a metal impeller version (some leak from the shaft) but really it's very infrequent.
  • Oil pickup in the sump can get clogged. New strainer is 2 bolts and about £12 IIRC, though you can just drop the sump next oil change and clear it out. Run a decent synthetic 5-30w and you'll be fine.
Other than that it's just usual car buying stuff :up:

Worth noting that the above aren't particularly frequent, so don't mistake me listing that lot as the cars being s**t. Think of it more as a comprehensive list of what's been known to go wrong with a tiny subset of cars on one of the widest selling chassis of all time in ~20 years of existence. In around 6 years of ownership of 1.8t cars I've only ever had door seals fail and a couple of vac leaks (with the exception of self inflicted failures from playing around with things), and I'd have another tomorrow without batting an eyelid.

Any specific questions etc, I'm happy to try and answer for you either here or via PM :blush:

Hanger.jpg
 

MrBlonde

ClioSport Club Member
I will have a proper read on the replys once home,but looking for something bit more mature now im getting close to 40 i guess but still that hothatch/sporty side to it,something thats good on driving long distances as i go away a fair bit around the country,ie scotland,lakes,wales,cornwall etc so also the point of being able to fit my camping stuff in to.

Not worried about insurance & mpg.

So thinking the S3 or go R26 is the two options that fit in my budget.
 

TheEvilGiraffe

South East - Essex
ClioSport Area Rep
I will have a proper read on the replys once home,but looking for something bit more mature now im getting close to 40 i guess but still that hothatch/sporty side to it,something thats good on driving long distances as i go away a fair bit around the country,ie scotland,lakes,wales,cornwall etc so also the point of being able to fit my camping stuff in to.

Not worried about insurance & mpg.

So thinking the S3 or go R26 is the two options that fit in my budget.

S4 Avant.

Join the revolution (eh @DannyR )
 
  Seat Leon Cupra R
You say that, @Goodj , but prices have come down a fair whack in the past few years and you can pick up a tidy S3/LCR for £3k relatively easy, and less if you find a real bargain. £3k for a tidy car and another £1-2k towards maintenance costs and/or mods would be a tidy daily, or £2.5k on the car and the same again on mods would be a well-sorted stage 2 toy. I went the far end of the spectrum and bought a rough-as-rats LCR for a touch over £1k, and have since been sorting it out. Once I'm finished will have a very capable car sitting somewhere north of 350bhp for somewhere in the region of £3k all in, plus a huge amount learnt in the process :)

R32s have held their value far better though, realistically you're looking at ~£6k for a reasonable one. Would love an R32t but it's considerably more costly to do
 
  Listerine & Poledo
Well, I dropped a small amount on an "enhanced", booted Leon.
It wasn't the cheapest move I've ever made, every month has brought a fresh "challenge". None of them being mods, just keeping it happy on it's own wheels.

I convince myself I'm better off every time I read the MPG's, compared to the MX5 :smile::neutral::nomouth::persevere:😢

That said, I'm no mechanic, and most of the "issues" could be dealt with using a halfords socket set and a bit of knowledge. All comes down to how nifty you are with spanners.

Buy a £1k LCR, knowing you'll be fine to rebuild it from parts if necessary? No brainer.
Buy a £2k LCR with no idea how a car works......that's gonna hurt.
 
Great cars, but would never go back. Something RWD after this is a very different beast.
Pluses are it was easy to tune (look at Welly cooler, catback and Badger 5 3" TIP + MAP), very comfy seats, launch with ESP off was floor and forget, cruise, sunroof all mod cons etc.
Bad points, check for rust in roof rails (back of the car above rear 3/4s), behind lower side mouldings (grey things at bottom of doors), my thermostat went but that was it. Very reliable car all in all. Boy does it wallow in corners, but something that can be fixed.
Leon post above - lighter, yes, better brakes, yes, quattro... you either like it or you don't. Mostly stuff that can be sorted with a map and swap the brakes over (easy). Really enjoyed the car in all honesty.
 
I wouldn't want to risk a £4k S3, or R32.
Why (and hello)? Bought at £7k, sold at £4k in 2014 four years later... I think, it was a while ago. £4k should get you a decent spec and mileage car. These go into the 150k+ miles with very little work. Tuffty's is on a fair wack over on AudiSport, albeit with a lot of mods.
 

MrBlonde

ClioSport Club Member
Thanks for the positive post about the S3 mate. @JD

Im not to worried about performance figures etc.I just think the S3 is nice inside and looks great with a bit of lows and a decent remap,exhaust and well maintained.Same as if i got an R26.

Then if I got a R26 i would still be in the Renaultsport family haha.
 
  Seat Leon Cupra R
Buy a £1k LCR, knowing you'll be fine to rebuild it from parts if necessary? No brainer.
Buy a £2k LCR with no idea how a car works......that's gonna hurt.

I went for some kind of compromise - bought a £1k LCR with no idea how a car works :laughing:

I said at the time though that part of the idea was to learn as I went, and although the curve's been steep, I've sure as hell learnt! With the exception of general servicing and a few little bits, I'd never really done much spannering with cars before I picked it up. Plenty of tinkering with mountain/trials bikes as a kid and a bit of work on nuclear submarines, but no cars. I've just dropped in a forged engine I built from the block up, installed an LSD and put together an entire turbo conversion - not bad for a n00b on a shoestring budget, I think.
 
Thanks for the positive post about the S3 mate. @JD

Im not to worried about performance figures etc.I just think the S3 is nice inside and looks great with a bit of lows and a decent remap,exhaust and well maintained.Same as if i got an R26.

Then if I got a R26 i would still be in the Renaultsport family haha.

If I was buying now I’d buy over 100k miles, knowing I wanted the b8 and eibach kit, the above brake/power mods and then just enjoy. £3/4K on the car and then go from there.

I just found a great car on Auto Trader:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...rader.co.uk/classified/advert/201711061000743



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Daz.

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 200 RS EDC
I still like them, wanted one for years - a good one still looks fresh imo.
 
I’d happily own one and going up in value. For not much money you’ll have 270/80 bhp. I personally think haldex is good even in this era. We live in a country with perma rain. I will say, a drivers car it isn’t but it is a jack of all trades.
 

Darren61

ClioSport Club Member
I've owned an R26 and genuniely loved it. To me it had a great sense of occasion every time I drove it. The LY paint, stickers, recaros, brembo's, cup suspension and LSD all made it special, as well as the numbered plaque (mine was 233 if it's still around) I realise that's a bit sad. I didn't modify it and really enjoyed it how it came out the factory. 230bhp felt like enough, the delivery was smooth but the economy wasn't amazing, at the time a full tank of V-Power was best part of £80 and did 300 miles. I know everyone has always harped on about it, but it was so well set up, the chassis is excellent, the ride and the LSD does what it's supposed to do and allows you to push on that bit further than other non-LSD equipped cars. I'd have another in a heart beat, in GW with black wheels and mirrors if I could. But my commute doesn't allow it currently, so I have the next best thing, a 175 DCI

IMG_2195.JPG



I also owned an S3 8P, I know you've said about the 8L but there are similarities. Build quality on the Audi (including older models like the 8L) is so good. And is polar opposite to that found in any Renault apart from the very latest stuff. It was 265bhp and felt rapid in a straight line, although I got bored of that fairly quick. The traction off the line was very good, but again, who is doing 0-60 at the lights? It did feel understeery and living in Milton Keynes at the time really gave me the chance to press it around all those roundabouts. The problem was the heaviness, combined with the Quattro not bein particularly dynamic, and it not delivering much feedback on any windy road or substantial bend. I'd turn in hard and you'd get understeer and if you were committed enough, you'd start to break traction and the back end would move a bit and then the Quattro would kick in. Don't get me wrong, I loved it as a quality car, cruised along motorways well and a lovely place to be, but it never set the pulse racing and for me a car needs to be able to do that in order to make t exciting. I had to have sprint blue and the multi function flat bottom steering wheel.

IMG_7722.JPG


I hope that helps in some way, any questions just ask
 
As mentioned above with AWD you need to go in hot and as soon as it starts to understeer lift off which pulls the nose it and then its point and squirt on the exit. Not the easiest to drive on the limit.
 

leedsboy

ClioSport Club Member
  Bean 182 + E70 X5
Why would you buy over 100k tho mate? @JD

Link doesnt work mate also

Autotrader links appear to have an issue at the moment.

I’d buy over 100k because a lot of buyers see it as a big milestone. If you bought at 90k and the went to 101k before selling I’d wager your depreciation would be higher than starting at 101k and selling at 110-130k.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


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